Various devices exist that aid in the display of goods for retail sale, and particularly that aid in the display of soft goods such as plush toys, pillows, towels, and apparel items. In order to optimally display a soft good, such as a plush toy, pillow, towel, apparel item, or the like, it is preferable to display the item in an attractive way, and permit the tactile examination of the item by the consumer prior to sale. It is also preferable to provide a display system to minimize shelf space taken up by the item, for example by hanging if possible, and provide a system by which, if a potential consumer removes the item from the packaging in order to examine the product, the replacement of the product within the packaging can be accomplished without undue inconvenience by the consumer, or perhaps more typically, retail staff. Such repackaging or resetting of the display modality will preferably not be obtrusive or objectionable to later potential purchasers of the particular instance of the good—that is, later consumers will preferably not reject the good that has been repackaged or subject to a reset display modality as being “already opened” and thus tainted by handling by others not concerned with maintaining the quality of the product. As a result, such violated items must often be returned to the manufacturer or sold at a substantial discount.
In addition, the retail packaging or display modality will preferably reduce the need or desire of the consumer to remove the packaging or display modality in order to examine the retail item—in other words, the consumer will preferably be able to make a decision whether to purchase the item without disturbing the display modality or packaging. Tactile examination, i.e, the “feel” or “touch” of soft goods is important to the consumer. Many soft goods are designed and purchase to provide comfort to the user, so that the feel of the product on the users skin is of paramount importance in the purchasing decision. The “feel” of a product is not limited to its surface feel. The degree to which the product is subject to compression, its resilience against such compression, it re-expansion following such compression, and other qualities relating to cushioning is of importance to the consumer, particularly when the item is a pillow or plush toy. It is also a key consideration of any display modality that the modality itself will not cause the good to be damaged, even in cases of rough handling by the consumer.
While packaging of soft goods in boxes or shrink wrapped in clear plastic provide protection to the soft good, when consumers violate this packaging in order to tactilely examine an item, it is often obvious to later consumers that the packaging has been violated, making the particular instance of the product (the individual item) more difficult to sell to later consumers. Shrink wrap, in addition to preventing surface feel examination, often interferes with an examination of the compression feel of an item, for example because the item is compressed as part of the shrink-wrapping process. In addition, boxes and shrink-wrapped packages typically require additional shelf space in comparison to display modalities in which the product is hung, for example on a rod mounted on shelf backing and pointed towards the consumer. This hanging-based display modality makes better use of space and requires less hardware (esp. shelving) than providing shelf-based display.
Commonly, hang tags are used as a retail display modality that reduces shelf space required for display of an item. These may be of several types. For example, a fabric loop or plastic D-shaped ring or O-shaped ring may be sewn into the item, preferably in a strong or reinforced location on the item, such as a seam or corner. These may be subject to rough handling, however, by consumers who are not concerned with the quality of the item, and this may cause tearing or other imperfections at the joinder of the loop or ring to the item.
Another popular hanging modality is a plastic ring having a T-extension, the T-extension being inserted through the fabric of the item with a device adapted to this purpose (a hang-tag gun), with the inserted T-extension serving as an anchor for the ring. In the event of non-woven fabrics such as vinyl, insertion of such a tag requires a hole to be made in the fabric. Even with woven fabrics, the hole required may be larger than holes naturally occurring in the weave. In addition to causing strain on the fabric at the point of anchoring, the T-extension may be subject to tearing out, causing tearing of the fabric. Even after purchase, when the ring is no longer required, when the end consumer cuts the ring off, the T-extension is left in the item. The tail of this T-extension may protrude from the item through the fabric, and may scratch the user's face or otherwise cause user discomfort, particularly with pillows or plush toys. Similar methods involving the use of plastic T-anchors are used to attach an item to a hanging card backer or other display type, with similar deleterious effects on the item to be displayed.
There is, accordingly, a need for a packaging or display modality goods and particularly for soft or compressible goods and particularly for items such as pillows, plush toys, towels, and apparel items, sometimes collectively referred to herein as “plush” or “plush goods” that allows for display of the item taking up minimal shelf space (preferably by hanging display), and allows for tactile examination of the surface feel and compression feel by the end consumer without disruption or violation of the packaging by the consumer. The packaging or display modality should not cause damage to the item, or cause a weakness to the item or a possible point of damage in the event of rough handling. It is also desirable that the display modality can be removed completely by the consumer, with none of the modality left in the product.